Shankar Aiyar, newly appointed Indian oil & gas minister, has expressed his readiness to visit Kazakhstan this year. He has stated this at his meeting with the ambassador of Kazakhstan Askar Sharipov July 29 in New Delhi.

The Indian oil minister is also a co-chairman of the Kazakh-Indian intergovernmental commission on bilateral co-operation, whose next, 5th session is planned in 2004. Results of interaction between Kazakhstan and India reached as a result of concluded agreements on the top level are planned to be summed up at the session.

Current issues of bilateral connections and the course of implementation of agreements reached as a result of negotiations between the leaders of India and Kazakhstan were also discussed at the meeting in New Delhi.

The Kazakhstani foreign ministry observes that the meeting once more confirmed an interest of India to a long term and mutually beneficial commercial and economic partnership with Kazakhstan, including such priority directions as the oil & gas sector information technologies, and military technical co-operation.